Smallholders in the Caatinga and the Cerrado: A Baseline Analysis for a Rural Just Transition in Brazil

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative provides a baseline analysis of smallholders in Brazil's Caatinga and Cerrado biomes to inform a 'rural just transition.' It highlights significant disparities in productivity, resource access, and socioeconomic vulnerability between the two regions, arguing that a one-size-fits-all agricultural policy is insufficient. The analysis emphasizes that smallholders in the Caatinga are particularly prone to poverty and subsistence farming, while those in the Cerrado are more integrated into commercial markets, though both face barriers to adopting sustainable, low-carbon production methods.

• Smallholders represent 76.8% of all agricultural establishments in Brazil but occupy only 23% of the cropland. While they are the most vulnerable to climate change, public resources for rural credit are predominantly directed toward medium and large producers.
• There are stark productivity and economic differences between smallholders in the Caatinga and Cerrado biomes. Smallholders in the Cerrado have larger average farms (36.2 hectares vs 14.3 hectares in the Caatinga) and produce nearly twice the total value of agricultural production compared to those in the Caatinga.

APA

de Albuquerque, A., Assunção, J., Castro, P., Rashidy, N. H. E., & de Miranda, G. (2023). Smallholders in the Caatinga and the Cerrado: A Baseline Analysis for a Rural Just Transition in Brazil. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Smallholders-in-the-Caatinga-and-the-Cerrado.pdf

Chicago

de Albuquerque, Amanda, Juliano Assunção, Pablo Castro, Natalie Hoover El Rashidy, and Giovanna de Miranda. Smallholders in the Caatinga and the Cerrado: A Baseline Analysis for a Rural Just Transition in Brazil. Climate Policy Initiative, 2023. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Smallholders-in-the-Caatinga-and-the-Cerrado.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=de Albuquerque |first1=Amanda |last2=Assunção |first2=Juliano |last3=Castro |first3=Pablo |last4=Rashidy |first4=Natalie Hoover El |last5=de Miranda |first5=Giovanna |title=Smallholders in the Caatinga and the Cerrado: A Baseline Analysis for a Rural Just Transition in Brazil |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=February 2023 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Smallholders-in-the-Caatinga-and-the-Cerrado.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dealbuquerque2023smallholders, author = {de Albuquerque, Amanda and Assunção, Juliano and Castro, Pablo and Rashidy, Natalie Hoover El and de Miranda, Giovanna}, title = {{Smallholders in the Caatinga and the Cerrado: A Baseline Analysis for a Rural Just Transition in Brazil}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Smallholders-in-the-Caatinga-and-the-Cerrado.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }